I’ll admit it, I'm addicted. I scroll through market commentary like a late night snack run, knowing full well that half of it is junk food. Everyone’s suddenly a real estate expert. Some have never closed a deal, never sat across from a nervous buyer, or had a seller ask the million-dollar question: “Is now the right time?” But here we are, opinion overload in a market that demands more clarity than ever.

Let’s cut through it. What we’re seeing isn’t a stalled market, but a slow-motion market subject to area, pricing and type of property. The recovery especially for sellers has no real momentum. Sellers are still dreaming of 2022 prices like it was just yesterday. Spoiler alert, it’s not coming back. Not in that form. We’re in a steady-pace market, which sounds great for real motivated consumers and focused Realtors®. but in practice kills urgency for buyers & sellers and create fears among any media watchers Realtors®. 

 

Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room “Inventory”. Yes, it’s up over 25%. But is it really? Or are we just counting products that can’t move, overpriced, overleveraged, or simply not saleable? Many listings are the residue of bad timing (peak buys), speculative condo units that never had an end user in mind, and sellers still stuck in fantasyland. So, is it inventory or just phantom listing on MLS.

 

And interest rates, yes, it does matter. But this isn’t about the Bank of Canada playing with another 0.25% cut. The damage isn’t in the rate; it’s in the psyche. Three years of ultra-cheap money during the pandemic distorted buyer expectations. People aren’t frozen because they can’t buy, they're frozen because they’re unsure of what they’re really buying into. Until they regain confidence in future value, they’ll keep asking questions and the move as slow as they can. More buyers in urban cores and they are holding their ground, thanks to jobs, transit, and accessibility. But the suburbs? They need to get to their real pricing and not the speculative hype that they didn’t earn. That rubber band is snapping back hard which hurts in short run but ultimately, they will have a better growth due to affordability in long run.

​

So what now?

 

For Sellers:

Stop chasing 2022. That ship has sailed. Price for today's reality, not yesterday’s fantasy. If your home isn’t selling, it’s not the market, it’s your positioning.

 

For Buyers:

This isn’t a crash, it’s a slow pace. If you're waiting for prices to fall off a cliff, you might miss the moment. Focus on long-term value, not market noise. Confidence returns before the headlines say so.

 

For Realtors®:

This isn’t the time for gimmicks. It’s time for clear thinking, steady leadership, and hyper-local knowledge. The agents and teams who truly understand what today’s buyer feels, not just what they say, will be the ones who bridge the gap and lead the next chapter. Everyone else? They’ll still be blaming the interest rate while watching listings grow stale.

 

Let’s stay sharp! 

 

Steve Tabrizi

Chief Operating Officer - Broker/Owner

REMAX Hallmark® Group of Companies